From Theory of Mind to Epistemic Cognition. A Lifespan Perspective

Overview

Author looks at epistemic standards of people in different age groups and makes a claim that as cognitive development happens, epistemic cognition changes/improves.

They also recommend looking at epistemic practices in action ^652c82

Commonplace

five year olds show better understanding of how relevant facts can be used to affect knowledge change in others, as evidenced by the production of more justifications in their dialogues. Importantly they are also more open to changing their knowledge than three-year-olds.

showing limitations in appreciation and application of epistemic standards pertaining to evidence-claim coordination, even in adulthood

understanding that evidence is different from information; information only becomes evidence in relation to a claim.

There appears to be a discrepancy between individual’s beliefs regarding epistemic standards and the application of epistemic standards in practice.

Most undergraduate students don’t engage in evaluation of arguments, examining, for example, whether scientific evidence supports a knowledge claim while researching information on the web.

The findings of Iordanou and Constantinou (2015) and Chinn et al’s (2008) studies have two important implications. Diaologic argumentation can offer a suitable setting for studying student’s epistemic activity in action and gaining a better understanding of how epistemic cognition changes. The second implication is that argumentation appears to be a promising pathway to support development of epistemic cognition. It makes tacit epistemic beliefs explicit as well as for changing epistemic beliefs.

Individual’s epistemic cognition differs across domains and advancements in epistemic cognition in one domain does not necessarily transfer in other domains.

Fleeting Notes

Development of Epistemic Cognition is situated in cognitive development more generally. That is as people’s cognitive development happen, they become better in their ability to aquire knowlege and revise it.